Lord we pray "Help me to continually increase parish vitality and reflect the presence of Christ in the world."

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Pope visits with US ambassador on July 4 (@USinHolySee)

On July 4, Pope Leo XIV visited with Brian Burch, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, and his family.

The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See stated that “Ambassador Burch and the Holy Father discussed President Trump‘s bold leadership and American efforts to pursue peace, religious freedom, and the need for moral clarity and courage around the world.”

The embassy also stated that “the Ambassador and his family presented the Holy Father a USA World Cup jersey, a commemorative Freedom 250 baseball, and a homemade apple pie,” and that “Pope Leo confirmed he is rooting for the country of his birth in the World Cup.”

Washington, DC cardinal reflects on patriotism (Catholic Standard)

In his July 5 homily, “The Meaning of Patriotism As We Celebrate Our Nation’s Birth,” Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington preached that “we stand in awe of the vision” that the nation’s founders “emblazoned on this new continent, and of the community and nation that have been built during these past two and a half centuries.”

“As we celebrate this great moment that marks our nation’s past and calls us to its future, let us as people of faith embrace a patriotism rooted both in the founding vision of our nation and in our deep love for the specific culture and society in which we live,” Cardinal McElroy preached. “And let us also as people of faith constantly reform both of these foundations of patriotism in the light of the Gospel and the Beatitudes which are the template for our transformation of the world.”

“For we must always, in patriotism, be moving forward, never complacent, always aspirational and called to the greatness, the true greatness to which our country should move,” he concluded.

Pastor freed from prison in China, weeks after President Trump requested his release (AP)

A prominent Chinese Protestant pastor, Jin Mingri, was freed from prison and arrived in Los Angeles, his family announced on July 4.

However, at least eight other members of the Beijing Zion Church, which Mingri founded, remain in prison.

During his recent visit to China, President Donald Trump advocated for Jin’s release, along with the release of lay Catholic Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February.

The Lord carries the cross with us, Pope tells pilgrims (CWN)

Giving of oneself, out of love, “constitutes Jesus’ yoke, which is the essence of his teaching and the heart of his wisdom,” Pope Leo XIV said during his July 5 Angelus address (video).

Papal praise for Columbanus Day, celebrated in honor of Irish saint (CWN)

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a letter in the Holy Father’s name to the bishop of Lodi, Italy, for the 27th celebration of Columbanus Day.

Recalling 1st Mass in Florida and American saints, Pope praises USA's Eucharistic heritage (CWN)

Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to the “strong, though largely unknown, Eucharistic heritage of the United States of America” in a video message for the conclusion of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.

Pope pays tribute to newly beatified Vietnamese martyr (Dicastery for Communication)

At the conclusion of his July 5 Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Blessed Trương Bửu Diệp (1897-1946), who was beatified in Vietnam on July 2.

The priest, slain by Japanese soldiers, “was killed in 1946 in hatred of the faith,” Pope Leo said. “Amid oppression and violence, he defended the rights of the people and did not abandon his parishioners. May his intercession and prayers strengthen all those who proclaim the Gospel in situations of persecution today.”

Jul. 6 Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Opt Mem of St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr, Opt. Mem.

The Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Maria Goretti (1890-1902). St. Maria was born near Ancona (Italy), the daughter of a poor peasant family. Maria was well known to her neighbors for her cheerfulness and piety. When she was twelve she was a victim of assault. She preferred to die rather than to lose her virginity. She died in 1902, and her mother was present at her canonization in 1950, the first time a parent was present for their own child's canonization.

Pope Leo XIV Says Christ Is Hope Amid the Scourge of War

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